Vapor based processing system with purge mode

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention provide vapor deposition tools. In one example, a vapor deposition tool includes housing. A substrate support is positioned within the housing and configured to support a substrate. A backing plate is positioned above the substrate support. A showerhead is positioned between the substrate support and the backing plate and has a plurality of openings therethrough. A fluid trap member is positioned around a periphery of the showerhead. A fluid trap member actuator is coupled to the fluid trap member and configured to move the fluid trap member between first and second positions relative to the backing plate.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to semiconductor processing. More particularly,this invention relates to a processing system and a method for vaporbased processing including a purge mode to facilitate, for example,combinatorial film deposition and integration on a substrate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) is a vapor based deposition processcommonly used in semiconductor manufacturing including but not limitedto the formation of dielectric layers, conductive layers, semiconductinglayers, liners, barriers, adhesion layers, seed layers, stress layers,and fill layers. CVD is typically a thermally driven process whereby theprecursor flux(es) is pre-mixed and coincident to the substrate surfaceto be deposited upon. CVD requires control of the substrate temperatureand the incoming precursor flux(es) to achieve desired film materialsproperties and thickness uniformity. Derivatives of CVD based processesinclude but are not limited to Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition(PECVD), High-Density Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition (HDP-CVD),Sub-Atmospheric Chemical Vapor Deposition (SACVD), laserassisted/induced CVD, and ion assisted/induced CVD.

As device geometries shrink and associated film thickness decrease,there is an increasing need for improved control of the depositedlayers. A variant of CVD that enables superior step coverage, materialsproperty, and film thickness control is a sequential depositiontechnique known as Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). ALD is a multi-step,self-limiting process that includes the use of at least two precursorsor reagents. Generally, a first precursor (or reagent) is introducedinto a processing chamber containing a substrate and adsorbs on thesurface of the substrate. Excess first precursor is purged and/or pumpedaway. A second precursor (or reagent) is then introduced into thechamber and reacts with the initially adsorbed layer to form a depositedlayer via a deposition reaction. The deposition reaction isself-limiting in that the reaction terminates once the initiallyadsorbed layer is consumed by the second precursor. Excess secondprecursor is purged and/or pumped away. The aforementioned stepsconstitute one deposition or ALD “cycle.” The process is repeated toform the next layer, with the number of cycles determining the totaldeposited film thickness. Different sets of precursors can also bechosen to form nano-composites comprised of differing materialscompositions. Derivatives of ALD include but are not limited to PlasmaEnhanced Atomic Layer Deposition (PEALD), radical assisted/enhanced ALD,laser assisted/induced ALD, and ion assisted/induced ALD.

The purge process typically involves introducing a particular fluid(i.e., a purging or purge gas), such as argon, into the chamber toremove the excess precursor material from the components of the tool,such as the showerhead. Depending on the precursors used, the purgeprocess may be particular difficult and/or time consuming as someprecursors have a tendency to “stick” or adhere to the components,particularly those made of aluminum. The invention described hereinprovides systems and method for improving the efficiency of the purgingprocess used in vapor deposition tools, particularly those used incombinatorial processing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the followingdetailed description and the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a processing system in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are isometric views of a vapor deposition showerhead inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the showerhead of FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views of an enclosure assembly in theprocessing system of FIG. 1, illustrating the operation thereof; and

FIGS. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views of an enclosure assemblyaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A detailed description of one or more embodiments is provided belowalong with accompanying figures. The detailed description is provided inconnection with such embodiments, but is not limited to any particularexample. The scope is limited only by the claims and numerousalternatives, modifications, and equivalents are encompassed. Numerousspecific details are set forth in the following description in order toprovide a thorough understanding. These details are provided for thepurpose of example and the described techniques may be practicedaccording to the claims without some or all of these specific details.For the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known in thetechnical fields related to the embodiments has not been described indetail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description. It should alsobe noted that the Figures provided herein are illustrative and notnecessarily drawn to scale.

The embodiments described herein provide a method and system for vaporbased deposition which may be useful for evaluating materials, unitprocesses, and process integration sequences to improve semiconductormanufacturing operations.

In particular, embodiments of the current invention describe anapparatus and a method to improve the removal of airborne materials fromthe system for vapor based processing subsequent to the deposition ofthin films using the tools. These embodiments may in particular beapplied to the removal of “sticky” precursors, which are described ingreater detail below, used during the combinatorial research anddevelopment of the deposition of new materials in the fields ofsemiconductor or solar processing. However, it should be understood thatembodiments of the present invention may also be applicable tomanufacturing processing tools.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art, that embodiments of thepresent invention may be practiced without some or all of these specificdetails. In other instances, well known process operations have not beendescribed in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the presentinvention.

The embodiments described herein enable the application of combinatorialtechniques to deposition process sequence integration in order to arriveat a globally optimal sequence of semiconductor manufacturing operationsby considering interaction effects between the unit manufacturingoperations on multiple regions of a substrate concurrently.Specifically, multiple process conditions may be concurrently employedto affect such unit manufacturing operations, as well as materialcharacteristics of components utilized within the unit manufacturingoperations, thereby minimizing the time required to conduct the multipleoperations. A global optimum sequence order can also be derived, and aspart of this technique, the unit processes, unit process parameters, andmaterials used in the unit process operations of the optimum sequenceorder are also considered.

The embodiments are capable of analyzing a portion or sub-set of theoverall deposition process sequence used to manufacture a semiconductordevice. The process sequence may be one used in the manufacture ofintegrated circuits (IC) semiconductor devices, flat panel displays,optoelectronics devices, data storage devices, magneto electronicdevices, magneto optic devices, packaged devices, and the like. Once thesubset of the process sequence is identified for analysis, combinatorialprocess sequence integration testing is performed to optimize thematerials, unit processes and process sequence for that portion of theoverall process identified. During the processing of some embodimentsdescribed herein, the deposition may be used to form structures ormodify structures already formed on the substrate, which structures areequivalent to the structures formed during manufacturing of substratesfor production. For example, structures on semiconductor substrates mayinclude, but would not be limited to, trenches, vias, interconnectlines, capping layers, masking layers, diodes, memory elements, gatestacks, transistors, or any other series of layers or unit processesthat create a structure found on semiconductor chips. The material, unitprocess and process sequence variations may also be used to createlayers and/or unique material interfaces without creating all or part ofan intended structure, which allows more basic research into propertiesof the resulting materials as opposed to the structures or devicescreated through the process steps.

Combinatorial processing may also include the use of materials, such asvapor-based precursors, that would not typically be used inmanufacturing due to their non-ideal properties. One such type ofmaterial is “sticky” precursors. “Sticky” precursors may generally referto precursors that require more than a particular amount of purging time(e.g., a few minutes) before the reagent is injected into the processingcavity. Without sufficient purging, the residual precursor may reactwith the reagent behind the showerhead, in the showerhead holes, or onthe chamber walls. This can lead to contamination of the wafer and/orclog the holes in the showerhead.

While the combinatorial processing varies certain materials, unitprocesses, or process sequences, the composition or thickness of thelayers or structures or the action of the unit process is preferablysubstantially uniform within each region, but can vary from region toregion per the combinatorial experimentation.

The result is a series of regions on the substrate that containstructures or results of unit process sequences that have been uniformlyapplied within that region and, as applicable, across different regionsthrough the creation of an array of differently processed regions due tothe design of experiment. This process uniformity allows comparison ofthe properties within and across the different regions such that thevariations in test results are due to the varied parameter (e.g.,materials, unit processes, unit process parameters, or processsequences) and not the lack of process uniformity. However, non-uniformprocessing of regions can also be used for certain experiments of typesof screening. Namely, gradient processing or regional processing havingnon-uniformity outside of manufacturing specifications may be used incertain situations.

Combinatorial processing is generally most effective when used in ascreening protocol that starts with relatively simple screening,sometimes called primary screening, and moves to more complex screeninginvolving structures and/or electrical results, sometimes calledsecondary screening, and then moves to analysis of the portion of theprocess sequence in its entirety, sometimes called tertiary screening.The names for the screening levels and the type of processing andanalysis are arbitrary and depend more on the specific experimentationbeing conducted. Thus, the descriptions above are not meant to belimiting in any fashion. As the screening levels progress, materials andprocess variations are eliminated, and information is fed back to priorstages to further refine the analysis, so that an optimal solution isderived based upon the initial specification and parameters.

In ALD, examples of conditions that may be varied, include theprecursors, reagents, carrier gases, order of precursors, concentrationof precursors/reagents, duration of precursor/reagent pulses, purgefluid species, purge fluid duration, partial pressures, total pressure,flow rates, growth rate per cycle, incubation period, growth rate as afunction of substrate type, film thickness, film composition,nano-laminates (e.g., stacking of different ALD film types), precursorsource temperatures, substrate temperatures, temperature for saturativeadsorption, temperature window for ALD, temperature for thermaldecomposition of the precursor(s), plasma power for plasma/ion/radicalbased ALD, etc. A primary screen may start with varying the precursorand purge fluid pulse durations and flows at increasing substratetemperatures to determine the ALD process window (a zone characterizedby self-limiting deposition with weak temperature dependence) for agiven film type. A secondary screen may entail stacking two or more suchALD films to vary the effective dielectric constant of a film stack in asimple MIM capacitor structure for example. The output of such a screenmay be those candidates which yield the highest effective dielectricconstant at the lowest leakage and remain stable through a hightemperature (e.g. >500° C.) thermal anneal. The system and methodsdescribed below are useful to implement combinatorial experimentation asdescribed above, and are particularly useful for ALD and CVD processing.

Fluid as used in this application refers to liquids, gases, vapors,i.e., a component that flows, and other types of fluids used in ALD andCVD processes and their variants and these terms are usedinterchangeably throughout this specification. A constituent componentmay be a liquid at some point in the system. The fluid may be convertedto a gas, vapor or other such fluid before entering the processingchamber and being exposed to the substrate.

FIG. 1 illustrates a substrate processing system 10 in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention. The substrate processing system10 includes an enclosure assembly 12 formed from a process-compatiblematerial, such as aluminum or anodized aluminum. The enclosure assembly12 includes a housing 14, which defines a processing chamber 16, and avacuum lid assembly 20 covering an opening to the processing chamber 16at an upper end thereof. Although only shown in cross-section, it shouldbe understood that the process chamber 16 is enclosed on all sides bythe housing 14 and/or the vacuum lid assembly 20.

A process fluid injection assembly 22 is mounted to the vacuum lidassembly 20 and includes a plurality of passageways (or injection ports)30, 31, 32, and 33 and a showerhead 90 to deliver reactive and carrierfluids into the processing chamber 16. In the embodiment depicted inFIG. 1, the showerhead 90 is moveably coupled to an upper portion of thevacuum lid assembly 20 (i.e., a backing plate 23) with a series ofpneumatic cylinders 24 mounted to the upper surface of the backing plate23. As shown, the pneumatic cylinders include pistons 26 which extendthrough the backing plate 23 and are connected to the showerhead 90.Although only two pneumatic cylinders 24 are shown, it should beunderstood that four may be provided to actuate the showerhead asdescribed below.

FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 illustrate the showerhead 90 according to oneembodiment of the present invention. The showerhead 90 includes a mainportion 91 and a fluid trap ring (or member) 92. In the depictedembodiment, the main portion 91 is substantially circular and has adiameter of, for example, approximately 200 or 300 millimeters. The mainportion 91 includes a plurality of injection ports (or openings) 94extending therethrough and a fluid separation mechanism 112 extendingupwards from an upper surface thereof. Although not shown in detail,each of the injection ports 94 may have a diameter that varies as itextend through the main portion 91, with a larger diameter near theupper surface of the main portion 91 (i.e., adjacent to the fluidseparation mechanism).

The fluid separation mechanism 112 includes several substantially linearportions that divide the main portion 91 into four region or quadrants114, 115, 116, and 117, each of which may be aligned with one of theinjection ports 30, 31, 32, and 33 (FIG. 1). The distance that fluidseparation mechanism 112 extends from the main body is dependent uponthe specific design parameters and may vary in different embodiments.However, in at least some embodiments, the fluid separation mechanism112 provides sufficient separation to minimize, if not prevent, fluidsfrom diffusing between adjacent quadrants 114-117.

The fluid trap ring 92 is a substantially annular member connected toand extends upwards from a periphery of the main portion 91. As shown,the fluid trap ring 92 includes a lip 93 that extends outwards away froma central axis 95 of the showerhead 90 at an upper portion thereof.Referring FIG. 4 and FIG. 1 in combination, the pistons of the pneumaticcylinders are connected to the lip 93 at the locations indicated by dashcircles 96. As will be described in greater detail below, the pneumaticcylinders 24 are used to move the showerhead 90, particularly the fluidtrap ring 92, relative to the backing plate 23.

The showerhead 90 may be formed from any known material suitable for theapplication, including stainless steel, aluminum, anodized aluminum,nickel, ceramics and the like.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the processing system 10 also includes aheater/lift assembly 46 disposed within processing chamber 16. Theheater/lift assembly 46 includes a support pedestal (or substratesupport) 48 connected to an upper portion of a support shaft 49. Thesupport pedestal 48 is positioned between shaft 49 and backing plate 23and may be formed from any process-compatible material, includingaluminum nitride and aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃ or alumina). The supportpedestal 48 is configured to hold or support a substrate 79 and may be avacuum chuck, as is commonly understood, or utilize other conventionaltechniques, such as an electrostatic chuck (ESC) or physical clampingmechanisms, to prevent the substrate 79 from moving on the supportpedestal 48. The support shaft 49 is moveably coupled to the housing 14so as to vary the distance between support pedestal 48 and the backingplate 23. That is, the support shaft 49 may be vertically moved to varythe distance between the support pedestal 48 and the backing plate 23.In the depicted embodiment, a lower portion of the support shaft 49 iscoupled to a motor 310 which is configured to perform this movement.Although not shown, a sensor may provide information concerning theposition of the support pedestal 48 within processing chamber 16.

The housing 14 (and/or the vacuum lid assembly), the support pedestal48, and the showerhead 90 are sized and shaped to create a peripheralflow channel 71 that surrounds the showerhead 90 and the supportpedestal 48 and provide a path for fluid flow to a pump channel 68 inthe housing 14. The dimensions of peripheral flow channel 71 are definedto provide a desired conductance of processing fluids therethrough whichprovides flows of processing fluids over the surface of the substrate 79in a substantially uniform manner and in an axi-symmetric fashion. Tothis end, the conductance through the pump channel 68 is chosen to belarger than the conductance through the peripheral flow channel 71. Inone embodiment, the relative conductance of processing fluids throughthe pump channel 68 and the peripheral flow channel 71 is, for example,10:1, wherein the conductance of the pump channel 68 is established tobe at least ten (10) times greater than the conductance of processingfluids through the peripheral flow channel 71. Such a large disparity inthe conductance, which includes other ratios (e.g., 5:1, 8:1, 15:1 andother higher and lower ratios as applicable to the chamber andapplication), serves to facilitate axi-symmetric flow across the surfaceof the substrate 79 through the processing region 77 and subsequentlypassing the substrate 79 and the support pedestal 48 toward pump channel68.

The support pedestal 48 may be used to heat the substrate 79 through theuse of heating elements (not shown) such as resistive heating elementsembedded in the pedestal assembly. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, atemperature control system 52 is provided to control the heatingelements, as well as maintain the chamber housing 14, vacuum lidassembly 20, and showerhead 90 within desired temperature ranges in aconventional manner.

Still referring to FIG. 1, the processing system 10 also includes afluid supply system 69 and a controller (or system control system) 70.The fluid supply system 69 is in fluid communication with thepassageways 30, 31, 32, and 33 through a sequence of conduits (or fluidlines).

The fluid supply system 69 (and/or the controller 70) controls the flowof processing fluids to, from, and within the processing chamber 16 arewith a pressure control system that includes, in the embodiment shown, aturbo pump 64 and a roughing pump 66. The turbo pump 64 and the roughingpump 66 are in fluid communication with processing chamber 16 via abutterfly valve 67 and a pump channel 68.

The controller 70 includes a processor 72 and memory, such as randomaccess memory (RAM) 74 and a hard disk drive 76. The controller 70 is inoperable communication with the various other components of theprocessing system 10, including the turbo pump 64, the temperaturecontrol system 52, the fluid supply system 69, the motor 310, and thepneumatic cylinders 24 and controls the operation of the entireprocessing system to perform the methods and processes described herein.

During operation, the processing system 10 establishes conditions in aprocessing region 77 between an upper surface of the substrate 79 andthe showerhead 90 to form desired material on the surface of thesubstrate 79, such as a thin film.

FIG. 5 illustrates the enclosure assembly 12 of the processing system 10in a processing mode. In the processing mode, the showerhead 90 ispositioned by the pneumatic cylinders 24 in a “high” or processingposition such that the showerhead 90 (in particular, the fluid trap ring92 in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4) is in contact with the backing plate 23.Similarly, the support pedestal 48 is positioned by the motor 310(FIG. 1) in a processing position such that the processing region 77 hasa thickness of, for example, between 0.1 and 1.0 inches. When in theprocessing mode, the processing system 10 forms thin films on thesubstrate 79 by injecting processing fluids from the fluid supply system69 (FIG. 1) through the injection ports 30-33 and into the showerhead90.

As is commonly understood, during an ALD or CVD process, the processingfluids injected into the processing region 77 may include a precursor.In one embodiment, the precursor used is a “sticky” precursor, asdescribed above, such as Tetrakis-ethylmethyl amido Hafnium (TEMAHf)which may be used to form a layer of hafnium oxide (HfO₂), perhaps inconjunction with silicon (Si) on the substrate 79.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-5, the fluid trap ring 92 prevents theprocessing fluids from flowing off the sides of the showerhead 90 suchthat they flow into the processing region 77 through the openings 94 inthe main portion 91 of the showerhead 90. Additionally, because of thefluid separation mechanism 112 of the showerhead 90, unique fluids maybe injected into the different quadrants 114-117 by the injection ports30-33 such that different films may be formed on different portions ofthe substrate 79. As such, the fluid separation mechanism 112, alongwith the fluid supply system 69, may provide a variation generatingsystem (or subsystem) that allows the processing system 10 tocombinatorially process the substrate 79 by forming a variety of thinfilms on different portions of the substrate 79. More particularly, thevariation generating system allows for intentional variations to be madebetween the layers formed on different portions of the substrate for thepurposes of identifying the materials and/or processes best suited for aparticular purpose.

From the processing region 77, the fluids substantially flow in a radialdirection (i.e., away from a center of the substrate 79) through theperipheral flow channel 71 and into the pump channel 68. Fluid flow maybe assisted by the pressure control system (e.g., the turbo pump 64).

As described above, during the processing mode, various processingfluids, particularly “sticky” precursors, such as TEMAHf, may adhere tovarious portions of the showerhead 90, such as within the openings 94.In order to remove these processing fluids, one or more purge fluids maybe injected into the processing chamber 16.

FIG. 6 illustrates the enclosure assembly 12 of the processing system 10in a purging (or purge) mode. In the purge mode, the showerhead 90 ispositioned by the pneumatic cylinders (or fluid trap ring actuators) 24in a “low” or purge position such that the showerhead 90 (in particular,the fluid trap ring 92 in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4) has been moved downwards,away from the backing plate 23. Similarly, the support pedestal 48(and/or the support shaft 49) is positioned by the motor 310 (FIG. 1) ina purge position such that the thickness of the processing region 77 hasbeen increased to, for example, between 1.0 and 3.0 inches. When in thepurge mode, the processing system 10 injects purge fluids from the fluidsupply system 69 (FIG. 1) through the injection ports 30-33 and into theshowerhead 90.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-4 and 6, because the showerhead 90 is no longerin contact with the backing plate 23, the fluid trap ring 92 does notprevent the processing fluids from flowing off the sides of theshowerhead 90 to the same extent. As such, a substantially portion ofthe purge fluid flows off the sides of the showerhead 90 and into theperipheral flow channel 71. However, some of the purge fluid does stillflow into the processing region 77 through the openings 94 in the mainportion 91 of the showerhead 90 before flowing into the peripheral flowchannel 71 and the pump channel 68. The overall effect of lowering theshowerhead 90, particularly the fluid trap ring 92, during purging, isto increase the fluid conductance experienced by the purge fluids asthey flow through the processing chamber 16. As a result, the purgefluids may flow through the processing chamber 16 at an increased rate,thus maximizing the cleaning effect.

This cleaning effect may be improved by the increased fluid conductancebetween the showerhead 90 and the backing plate 23. That is, when thefluid trap ring 92 is lowered, processing fluids may quickly flowbetween the showerhead 90 and the backing plate 23, resulting in agreater rate of flow and/or a greater volume of processing gas. In oneembodiment, the ratio of fluid conductance with the showerhead 90(and/or the fluid trap ring 92) in the purge position to the fluidconductance with the showerhead 90 in the processing position isapproximately 6:1. Thus, with the showerhead 90 in the purge position,the amount of processing fluid that may flow between the showerhead 90and the backing plate 23 is approximately six times greater.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate the enclosure assembly 12 of the processingsystem 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Inthe embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the showerhead 90 is connected tothe backing plate 23 by four posts 200, although only two of the posts200 are shown. Also of particular interest is that the fluid trap ring92 is not connected to the showerhead 90. Rather, the fluid trap ring 92is held in position by, in one embodiment, four support rods 202 (onlytwo shown) that extend upwards through the lower portion of the housing14. Although not shown, the support rods 202 may each be connected to anactuator, similar to the pneumatic actuators 24 shown in FIGS. 1, 5, and6.

FIG. 7 depicts the enclosure assembly 12 with the processing system 10in a processing mode. As such, the fluid trap ring 92 is in a high, orprocessing, position and in contact with the backing plate 23, similarto the embodiment shown in FIG. 5. FIG. 8 depicts the enclosure assembly12 with the processing system 10 in a purge mode. Thus, the fluid trapring 92 has been lowered to a purge position such that purging fluid mayreadily flow off the sides of the showerhead 90 to optimize fluidconductance as described above.

It should be understood that an increase of fluid conductance betweenthe backing plate 23 and the showerhead 90 does occur by simply movingthe fluid trap ring 90, as opposed to moving both the showerhead 90 andthe fluid trap ring 92 as described above. It should also be understoodthat although the fluid trap ring 92 is partially positioned with theperipheral flow channel 71 when in the purge position, it may bepositioned to minimize any negative affect on fluid conductance, such asby positioning the fluid trap ring 92 just below a periphery of thesupport pedestal 48.

Although not shown in detail, the fluid supply system 69 may includemultiple subsystems to provide various processing fluids to theprocessing chamber 16. Precursors used may include nitrogen (N₂), argon(Ar), water (H₂O), ammonia (NH₃), oxygen (O₂), hydrogen, helium, ozone,silane, and any other precursor and/or carrier or purge fluid(s) (e.g.,gases, vapors, etc.) used in ALD or CVD processing, includingorganometallic and halide precursors. Appropriate inert carrier gases(e.g., Ar 121) may be used to deliver precursors/reagents. Anotherexample of a precursor is TriMethylAluminum (TMA). Alternate sources ofHafnium precursors include but are not limited to Tetrakis-diethylamidoHafnium (TDEAHf), Tetrakis-dimethyl amido Hafnium (TDMAHf), Hafniumtert-butoxide, and Hafnium Chloride.

Characteristics of the layers formed on the substrate that may be variedby the fluid supply system 69 include the precursors, reagents, carriergases, order of precursors, concentration of precursors/reagents,duration of precursor/reagent pulses, purge fluid species, purge fluidduration, partial pressures, total pressure, flow rates, film thickness,film composition, nano-laminates (e.g. stacking of different ALD filmtypes), etc.

In one embodiment, a vapor deposition tool is provided. The vapordeposition tool includes housing, a substrate support positioned withinthe housing and configured to support a substrate, a backing platepositioned above the substrate support, a showerhead positioned betweenthe substrate support and the backing plate, the showerhead having aplurality of openings therethrough, a fluid trap member positionedaround a periphery of the showerhead, and a fluid trap member actuatorcoupled to the fluid trap member and configured to move the fluid trapmember between first and second positions relative to the backing plate.

In another embodiment, a vapor deposition tool is provided. The vapordeposition tool includes a housing, a substrate support positionedwithin the housing and configured to support a substrate, a backingplate coupled to the housing and positioned over the substrate support,a showerhead positioned between the substrate support and the backingplate, the showerhead having a plurality of openings therethrough, afluid trap member positioned around a periphery of the showerhead, and afluid trap member actuator coupled to the fluid trap member andconfigured to move the fluid trap member between first and secondpositions relative to the backing plate. When the fluid trap member isin the first position and processing fluids are injected into theshowerhead, the fluid trap member extends at least partially above theshowerhead and the processing fluids flow through the plurality ofopenings in the showerhead and form a film on the substrate. The vapordeposition tool also includes a variation generating system configuredto generate a variation between the film deposited on a first portion ofthe substrate and the film deposited on a second portion of thesubstrate.

In a further embodiment, a vapor deposition tool is provided. The vapordeposition tool includes a housing, a substrate support positionedwithin the housing and configured to support a substrate, a backingplate coupled to the housing and positioned over the substrate support,a showerhead positioned between the substrate support and the backingplate, the showerhead having a plurality of openings therethrough, anannular fluid trap member connected to and extending upwards from aperiphery of the showerhead, and a fluid trap member actuator coupled tothe annular fluid trap member and the showerhead and configured to movethe annular fluid trap member and the showerhead between first andsecond positions relative to the backing plate. When the annular fluidtrap member and the showerhead are in the first position and processingfluids are injected into the showerhead, the processing fluids flowthrough the plurality of openings in the showerhead and form a film onthe substrate. The vapor deposition tool also includes a variationgenerating system configured to generate a variation between the filmdeposited on a first portion of the substrate and the film deposited ona second portion of the substrate.

Although the invention has been described in terms of specificembodiments, one skilled in the art will recognize that variousmodifications may be made that are within the scope of the presentinvention. For example, although four quadrants are shown, any number ofquadrants may be provided, depending upon the number of differingprocess fluids employed to deposit material. Additionally, it ispossible to provide the processing volume with a homogenous mixture ofconstituent components so that the processing chamber may function as astandard processing chamber for either ALD or CVD recipes. Therefore,the scope of the invention should not be limited to the foregoingdescription. Rather, the scope of the invention should be determinedbased upon the claims recited herein, including the full scope ofequivalents thereof.

What is claimed:
 1. A vapor deposition tool comprising: a housing; asubstrate support positioned within the housing and configured tosupport a substrate; a backing plate positioned above the substratesupport; a showerhead positioned between the substrate support and thebacking plate, the showerhead having a plurality of openingstherethrough; a fluid trap member positioned around a periphery of theshowerhead; and a fluid trap member actuator coupled to the fluid trapmember and configured to move the fluid trap member between first andsecond positions relative to the backing plate, wherein when the fluidtrap member is in the first position, a bottom of the fluid trap memberis a first distance from the backing plate, the first distance beingless than a distance between the backing plate and a top surface of thesubstrate support, and when the fluid trap member is in the secondposition, a top of the fluid trap member is a second distance from thebacking plate, the second distance being greater than the first distanceand greater than a distance between the backing plate and the topsurface of the substrate support.
 2. The vapor deposition tool of claim1, wherein when the fluid trap member is in the first position, thefluid trap member at least partially extends above the showerhead. 3.The vapor deposition tool of claim 2, wherein when the fluid trap memberis in the second position, the entire fluid trap member is below asubstrate positioned on the substrate support.
 4. The vapor depositiontool of claim 3, wherein when the fluid trap member is in the firstposition and processing fluids are injected into the showerhead, theprocessing fluids flow through the plurality of openings in theshowerhead and form a film on the substrate.
 5. The vapor depositiontool of claim 4, further comprising a variation generating systemconfigured to generate a variation between the film deposited on a firstportion of the substrate and the film deposited on a second portion ofthe substrate.
 6. The vapor deposition tool of claim 3, wherein when thefluid trap member is in the second position, the entire fluid trapmember is positioned below the substrate support.
 7. The vapordeposition tool of claim 6 wherein when the fluid trap member is in thesecond position, the fluid trap member is below the showerhead.
 8. Thevapor deposition tool of claim 6, wherein the variation generatingsystem comprises a fluid separation mechanism connected to theshowerhead and configured such that processing fluid injected into afirst portion of the showerhead does not diffuse into a second portionof the showerhead.
 9. The vapor deposition tool of claim 8, wherein thevariation generating system comprises a fluid supply subsystemconfigured to inject a first processing fluid into the first portion ofthe showerhead and a second processing fluid into the second portion ofthe showerhead.
 10. The vapor deposition tool of claim 9, wherein atleast one of the first processing fluid and the second processing fluidis a vapor deposition precursor fluid.
 11. A vapor deposition toolcomprising: a housing; a substrate support positioned within the housingand configured to support a substrate; a backing plate coupled to thehousing and positioned over the substrate support; a showerheadpositioned between the substrate support and the backing plate, theshowerhead having a plurality of openings therethrough; a fluid trapmember positioned around a periphery of the showerhead; a fluid trapmember actuator coupled to the fluid trap member and configured to movethe fluid trap member between first and second positions relative to thebacking plate, wherein when the fluid trap member is in the firstposition and processing fluids are injected into the showerhead, thefluid trap member extends at least partially above the showerhead, abottom of the fluid trap member is above a top surface of the substratesupport, and the processing fluids flow through the plurality ofopenings in the showerhead and form a film on the substrate, and whenthe fluid trap member is in the second position, a top of the fluid trapmember is below a top surface of the substrate support; and a variationgenerating system configured to generate a variation between the filmdeposited on a first portion of the substrate and the film deposited ona second portion of the substrate.
 12. The vapor deposition tool ofclaim 11, wherein the variation generating system comprises a fluidseparation mechanism connected to the showerhead and configured suchthat processing fluid injected into a first portion of the showerheaddoes not diffuse into a second portion of the showerhead.
 13. The vapordeposition tool of claim 12, wherein the variation generating systemcomprises a fluid supply subsystem configured to inject a firstprocessing fluid into the first portion of the showerhead and a secondprocessing fluid into the second portion of the showerhead.
 14. Thevapor deposition tool of claim 13, wherein at least one of the firstprocessing fluid and the second processing fluid is a vapor depositionprecursor fluid.